The present invention relates to a heat-pipe type radiator and a method for producing such radiator, and more particularly to a radiator, of which a heat pipe has an entire circumferential surface in contact with a plurality of closely arranged fins to enable enhanced radiating effect.
While various kinds of electronic elements, such as chips, microprocessors, etc., have been widely employed in the quickly developed electronic apparatus, they face a common problem of highly increased working temperature. To solve this problem, the provision of heat exchangers to effectively radiate heat produced by the electronic elements during working has now become a very important and requisite means.
There is a conventional heat exchanger that includes fins made of extruded aluminum. That is, such type of conventional heat exchanger uses fins that are separately formed from a whole piece of aluminum material at very high cost, making the heat exchanger less competitive in the market. Attempts have been made to replace the above-mentioned conventional heat exchanger using integral aluminum fins with a heat-pipe type radiator that is supposed to have a reduced cost. FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of this conventional heat-pipe type radiator, and FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectioned side view thereof. As can be seen from the drawings, the conventional heat-pipe type radiator mainly includes a plurality of fins 1 and two heat pipes 2. Each of the fins 1 is an elongated strip with two longitudinal edges thereof bent in the same direction to form two flanges 11. The fin 1 is then punched to provide two spaced truncated conical collars 12, each of which is tapered from a root toward a free end thereof. Each of the heat pipes 2 is a long round bar being extended through the fins 1 via the collars 12 to locate in the collars 12 in the manner of interference fit.
With the above arrangements, there is a circumferential line contact between each heat pipe 2 and each truncated conical collar 12, enabling heat to transfer from the heat pipes 2 to the fins 1 at where the heat is radiated.
The above-described conventional heat-pipe type radiator has the following disadvantages:
1. The heat pipes 2 and the fins 1 are connected to each other through interference fit. That is, each heat pipe 2 is forced through the conical collars 12 that have an inner diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the heat pipe 2, so that the heat pipe 2 is tightly connected to the fins 1 at the conical collars 12. However, the conical collars 12 are expanded when the heat pipe 2 is forced therethrough, making the fins 1 slidable along the heat pipe 2. Under this condition, at least two heat pipes 2 are needed to firmly hold the fins 1 on the heat pipes 2. That is, the conventional heat-pipe type radiator still requires considerably high cost for material.
2. The provision of interference fit is to allow a tight connection of the heat pipe 2 to the fins 1. However, the heat pipe 2 and each fin 1 in this conventional design contact with one another only at a circumferential line or even only at some points spaced along the circumferential surface of the heat pipe 2. Thus, heat is not effectively transferred from the heat pipes 2 to the fins 1 at all.
3. The forcing of the heat pipes 2 through the conical collars 12 could not be done manually. Specially designed machines are needed for this operation.
It is therefore tried by the inventor to develop an improved heat-pipe type radiator and a method for producing the same, so that the radiator could be produced at reduced cost to effectively provide enhanced radiating effect.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a heat-pipe type radiator including a plurality of closely arranged fins that are correspondingly provided with at least one first hole having a second hole provided at an edge thereof, at least one heat pipe that is extended through the first holes on the fins, and a bonding agent that fills a clearance in the first holes between the heat pipe and the fins to firmly bond the heat pipe and the fins together, so that a surface contact exists between them, allowing heat to more quickly transfer from the heat pipe to the fins.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of producing the above-mentioned heat-pipe type radiator having enhanced radiating effect. The method includes the following steps: (a) preparing at least one heat pipe; (b) providing a plurality of fins that are closely arranged side to side and are correspondingly provided at a predetermined position with at least one first hole sized for the at least one heat pipe to extend therethrough and locate therein, and each first hole being provided at an edge at a predetermined position with a second hole; (c) preparing a predetermined bonding agent; (d) extending the at least one heat pipe through the at least one first hole to form a primary assembly of the heat pipe and the fins, and filling the bonding agent into the second holes; (e) heating the bonding agent to its melting point, so that the bonding agent melts and flows from the second holes into the first holes to fill up a clearance in the first holes between the heat pipe and the fins; and (f) allowing the bonding agent in a molten form in the first holes to cool and set, so as to tightly bond the at least one heat pipe to the fins to complete the heat-pipe type radiator.